Northern leaders unveil gamechangers for growth in the North

Northern mayors and leaders are unveiling five transformative opportunities that will make the North the place to drive UK growth at the Convention of the North.

The North is first part of England to be fully covered by devolution following recent Government announcements, and northern mayors and leaders are using devolved powers to drive economic growth and improve the lives of people across the region.

Convention of the North 2025 will demonstrate how the North can build on the opportunities of devolution to support the UK Government’s growth mission through a northern growth model combining investment in the sectors that will power the future global economy, with investment in infrastructure and people.

Within this northern growth model, Convention of the North partners have identified five game-changing investment opportunities that would enable the North to drive growth and for the whole country, focusing on the region’s specific capabilities and challenges.

Those five gamechangers are:

• Connecting the North through a transformed rail system
• Making the North a global leader in clean energy investment
• Creating a Northern cluster of AI excellence
• Combining cutting-edge research with place-based prevention of ill-health to drive growth and reform
• Investing in the North’s place, cultural, and natural assets

The gamechangers and Northern growth model is being discussed by delegates taking part in the Convention of the North in Preston today.

Cllr Phillippa Williamson, leader of Lancashire County Council and co-chair of Convention of the North 2025 said: “The North is absolutely bursting with potential. We’ve got strengths in key sectors right across the North that we can build on to address the issues the country is facing, which we know we’ve got the answer to.

“We know that we have challenges to address as well, which is the northern growth model we’ll be discussing at this year’s Convention of the North in Lancashire is about building on the opportunities where our region can deliver on the UK’s growth mission, while also tackling the long-term issues that have held us back historically through investment in skills, connectivity and prevention.

“This convention of the North is happening at a crucial moment for the UK and it’s our opportunity to show why the North is central to the UK’s prosperity.”

Clare Hayward MBE DL, co-chair of the Convention of the North 2025 said: “We believe our region has the scale, the capacity, and the capability to deliver the growth agenda for the UK and these five gamechangers are the starting point for a new chapter of collaboration across the North, working across our sectors and regions and with the government to build a North that drives our communities and the country forward.

“These are opportunities that stakeholders, businesses and people invested in the North have identified. They will unlock growth here and help the North play its full part in competing for the country in a changing and uncertain global economy.”

The five gamechangers for the North have been developed through policy collaboration between northern strategic authorities, business leaders, universities and civil society representatives.

They build on the work of successive Conventions of the North since 2018, and respond to the missions set out by the new UK Government.